One out of every five sweaters globally is made in Dalang. This small town in Dongguan, Guangdong, produces over 900 million garments annually, with its entire industrial chain generating more than 72 billion yuan in transactions. On June 24, the 95th International Wool Textile Organization (IWTO) Congress opened here, drawing industry representatives from over 20 countries to discuss the future of the wool sector. The key signals from the congress are clear: green transformation has moved from concept to practice, and supply chain collaboration is the key to breaking through challenges.
Green Transformation: From Standards to Consensus
The most anticipated session was the global launch of the IWTO Wool Green Paper. This document is not merely an industry report but a systematic tool for the wool sector to address environmental challenges. During the launch, experts pointed out that the core difficulty is the exaggeration of wool's negative environmental impact in existing data, leading to bias among younger urban consumers. The Green Paper aims to unify traceability data across the supply chain, establish region-specific carbon footprint accounting standards, and strengthen the industry's voice in EU policy-making.
This means the wool industry is shifting from reactive defense to proactive narrative-building. For buyers and factories, the Green Paper's implementation will directly change supply chain entry barriers: carbon footprint data will become a hard metric in trade negotiations, not an optional bonus.
The Dalang Model: Resilience and Upgrading of Industrial Clusters
Dalang's wool industry has developed over 40 years, with products sold to more than 100 countries, deeply integrating into global supply chains. But speeches at the congress showed that this traditional industrial town is not staying in the OEM stage. Party Secretary Dong Tie emphasized that Dalang is deepening its transformation toward smart, green, and brand-oriented development, and building new industrial platforms. Sun Ruizhe, President of the China National Textile and Apparel Council, highlighted Dalang's global role with data: its annual transaction volume exceeds 72 billion yuan, driven by open cooperation and industrial agglomeration.
Against the backdrop of trade protectionism impacting global supply chains, Dalang's resilience stands out. China has the world's largest wool processing capacity, importing large quantities of raw wool and exporting various wool products annually. Dalang's complete ecosystem—from raw material processing to product design, from manufacturing to trade circulation—provides global buyers with a stable and efficient supply option.
Industry Collaboration: Youth Power and Global Cooperation
The congress featured a special session for the Wool Youth Program, where dozens of young representatives introduced their business fields. The deeper meaning of this session is that the wool industry's inheritance cannot rely solely on established companies; it needs a new generation of practitioners to cross geographical boundaries and build global networks. Jacques Ji, the program leader, said the platform's core value lies in the enthusiasm and dedication of its participants—it's not just about skill transfer but about career succession.
For foreign trade companies, this means future cooperation with younger buyers or designers will increasingly emphasize sustainability and cultural narratives. A company from Tibet, Zhuofanlin, showcased a "platform + workshop + school" model, leveraging highland yak wool and local wool resources to balance intangible cultural heritage with commercial value. This transparent supply chain from source to consumer is exactly the model increasingly sought by global fashion brands.